Shaw sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder

Ed Lewis, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read
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Feb. 28—WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough convicted Anthony Dion Shaw of first-degree murder for the horrific stabbing death of Cindy Lou Ashton inside her Wilkes-Barre Township residence in 2018.

Vough's verdict came after a two-day non-jury trial where First Assistant District Attorney Anthony Ross and assistant district attorneys Brian Coleman and Gerry Scott produced overwhelmingly convincing evidence that Shaw, 47, planned to kill Ashton, 39, with malice.

Shaw was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole by Vough.

Before he was sentenced, Shaw had the opportunity to apologize to Ashton's family and friends who attended the trial. He remained quiet.

Ashton's sister, Julie Ashton, her father Kim Ashton, and her uncle, Tracy McCoy, described Ashton as a loving, caring and an all-around great person who lived a healthy lifestyle.

"This was a senseless, brutal attack that took the life of a young woman," Ross said.

During the trial, Ross said Shaw planned and intended to kill Ashton as a result of jealousy as Shaw believed Ashton was speaking to an ex-boyfriend.

Prosecutors showed surveillance footage of Shaw purchasing a Gerber folding knife at the now closed Kmart at Blackman Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township he used hours later to stab Ashton inside her apartment on May 1, 2018.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Gary Ross testified Ashton sustained at least 27 stab wounds to her head, neck and hands that were consistent with defensive wounds.

Allyson Miller, a forensic scientist at the Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Laboratory in Greensburg, testified the Gerber knife contained DNA profiles of Ashton and Shaw.

"This was a carried out, calculated murder," Vough said to Shaw. "You will be sentenced for the rest of your life without parole."

Shaw's attorney, David W. Lampman II, sought a third-degree murder conviction arguing Shaw's attempt at taking his own life after killing Ashton showed he did not know what he had done.